It is no longer news that Wizkid’s latest single “Essence” featuring Tems from his album Made In Lagos has become a global summer anthem and a viral international hit.
The massive streams, airplay all over the world, reposts from celebrities worldwide, social media engagements, etc. over the past few weeks have prompted Wizkid to add another chart record to his collection.
This is as big as it gets but it doesn’t even end there.
The album Made In Lagos is still growing as in this same chart week on Billboard 200 album chart, Wizkid‘s Made In Lagos re-entered the chart at #147 after previously peaking at #80 back in November 2020.
Its re-entry on the chart makes it the longest-charting album by a Nigerian artist on the Billboard 200 album chart this century.
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Finally, Wizkid is the first Nigerian artist in history to simultaneously chart on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart as he did it with Essence and Made In Lagos.
A timeline of Wizkid’s major chart numbers on Billboard:
2016 – Wizkid became the first Nigerian artist to score a Hot 100 entry, as he achieved that as a featured artist on Drake’s One Dance which eventually hit #1 and stayed there for 10 non-consecutive weeks and became the biggest chart hit of the year.
2017 – Wizkid became the first Nigerian artist to have an album debut and chart on the Billboard 200 in 35 years, as he achieved that with his album “Sounds From The Other Side” which peaked at #107.
2019 – Wizkid became the first Nigerian artist to score a Hot 100 entry as a lead artist, as he achieved that with “Brown Skin Girl” alongside Beyonce, Blue Ivy, and Saint Jhn. The song peaked at #76 in July 2019.
2021 – Wizkid‘s Essence becomes the first Nigerian song to debut and chart on the Hot 100. As it debuts at #82.
For emphasis, this was done without an international feature.
Wizkid contines to pave the way and inspire artists of his generation. The legend as they say, continues to grow.
This is just another part of the Naija to the world chapter. Afrobeats will keep on breaking boundaries.
